Batter Up, Charlie Brown! Fantagraphics Books Written and Illustrated by Charles Schulz These are truly great days to be a Peanuts fan — Fantagraphics Books is nearing the end of their reprint the entirety of Peanuts and they’ve launched a full-color Sundays reprint series, Andrews McMeel has started a line of themed Peanuts collections forContinue reading “Batter Up, Charlie Brown”
Building a Better Star Trek: Generations
It’s possible I’ve written about this on the blog before. Over the years, I’ve written about a great many things, and there’s some inevitable overlap. Recently on a mailing list discussion turned toward the Star Trek: The Next Gernation films, and I mentioned in passing my opinions of Star Trek: First Contact (I really don’tContinue reading “Building a Better Star Trek: Generations”
Answering an RNC Survey
For some reason, I’m on the Republican National Committee’s e-mail fundraising list. It’s occasionally an entertaining read, because the appeals appear to be written by a paranoid schizophrenic. I haven’t given them money. I will, however, answer their surveys. Today’s survey was pretty simple. In one sentence… “What would you like to see the GOPContinue reading “Answering an RNC Survey”
Link Roundup
Some random links that caught my fancy today. Islamic clerics in the United Arab Emirites have issued a fatwa against humans traveling to Mars. The reason? They consider it a suicide mission, and the Qu’ran prohibits suicide, therefore anyone who travels to Mars is committing suicide. A cellist wants HBO to rerecord the Game ofContinue reading “Link Roundup”
Baseball Field, Oh Baseball Field!
Baseball field, oh baseball field! Springtime will be here soon! Baseball field, oh baseball field! Warm days in May and June! The outfield grass, the pitcher’s mound, Crack of the bat, and the force out! Baseball field, oh baseball field! Springtime will be here soon! Lyrics by me, sung to the tune of “O Tannenbaum”
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!, Michael Tomasky’s New Beatles Book
As I write this, we’re on the cusp of the fiftieth anniversary of the Beatles’ arrival in New York City and their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. Published by The Daily Beast and released this week, Michael Tomasky’s Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! looks back at those events in February 1964, how and why theyContinue reading “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!, Michael Tomasky’s New Beatles Book”
Boldly Going Where No Word Salad Has Gone Before
Like everyone, I receive “word salad” spam. By “word salad,” I mean spam that uses words and phrases from other sources that go together and make sense to try and get past a Bayesian filter. I’ve just received a Star Trek word salad spam. This is a first. The subject line, as it arrived: PicardContinue reading “Boldly Going Where No Word Salad Has Gone Before”
Artistically Beatles
It’s safe to say that I have more Beatles cover albums in my collection than official Beatles albums. (I have to make that distinction, as I have a nice sized collection of bootleg albums.) And over the years, I’ve bought some absolute junk. I have no idea when I picked up Vincent DiCola’s Artistically Beatles. Continue reading “Artistically Beatles”
The Dracula Finale
Last night NBC broadcast the finale of Dracula. It was not the definitive conclusion I had expected from the start, when the series was commissioned as a 10-part mini-series. Yet… If that’s where Dracula ends, I’m content. There are a number of balls still in the air, pieces are still in play on the chessboard,Continue reading “The Dracula Finale”
Snow On Snow
Yesterday we had another winter storm in Pennsylvania. I think it was the fifteenth or sixteenth just since Christmas. I exaggerate. But that’s how it feels. Snow on snow. Like from the song, “In the Bleak Midwinter.” Yesterday’s storm was another Polar Vortex, and unlike the first, which was merely bonechillingly cold, this one broughtContinue reading “Snow On Snow”